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SHACKLETON IN THE ANTARCTIC BEING THE STORY OF THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1907-1909
SHACKLETON IN THE ANTARCTIC BEING THE STORY OF THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1907-1909
LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN MCMXI SHACKLETON IN THE ANTARCTIC ADAPTED FROM THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC First published (Two Volumes) November 1909 Popular Edition ( One Volume) November 1910 Copyright London 1909, by William Heinemann, and Washington, U.S.A., by J. B. Lippincott Company...
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CHAPTER I THE EXPEDITION
CHAPTER I THE EXPEDITION
Men go out into the void spaces of the world for various reasons. Some are incited simply by a love of adventure, some have a keen thirst for scientific knowledge, and others are drawn away from trodden paths by the mysterious fascination of the unknown. I think that in my own case it was a combination of these factors that determined me to try my fortune once again in the frozen south. I had been invalided home before the conclusion of the Discovery expedition, and I had the keenest desire to s
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CHAPTER II I—SUPPLIES
CHAPTER II I—SUPPLIES
For a polar expedition the food must in the first place be wholesome and nourishing in the highest possible degree. Scurvy—that dread disease—was once regarded as the inevitable result of a prolonged stay in ice-bound regions, but by selecting food-stuffs which had been prepared on scientific lines we entirely avoided any sickness attributable directly or indirectly to the foods we took with us. In the second place the food taken on the sledging expeditions must be as light as possible, always r
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CHAPTER III THE SHIP, THE HUT AND OTHER NECESSITIES
CHAPTER III THE SHIP, THE HUT AND OTHER NECESSITIES
Before I left Norway I visited Sandyfjord to see whether I could come to terms with Mr. C. Christiansen, the owner of the Bjorn , a ship specially built for polar work; but much as I wished to try her I could not afford to pay the price. So when I returned to London I purchased the Nimrod . She was small and old, and her maximum speed under steam was hardly more than six knots, but on the other hand she was able to face rough treatment in the ice. I confess that I was disappointed when I first e
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CHAPTER IV THE STAFF AND THE ROYAL VISIT
CHAPTER IV THE STAFF AND THE ROYAL VISIT
It was no easy matter for me to select the staff from the large number (over 400) of applicants who wished to join the expedition. After much consideration I selected eleven men for the shore-party, only three of whom—Adams, Wild and Joyce—had been known to me previously, while only Wild and Joyce, having been members of the Discovery expedition, had previous experience of polar work. Every man, however, was highly recommended, and this was also the case with the officers whom I chose for the Ni
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CHAPTER V WE LEAVE LYTTELTON
CHAPTER V WE LEAVE LYTTELTON
By strenuous labour we were in readiness to start from Lyttelton on New Year's Day, and we were honoured by the Postmaster-General of the Dominion printing off for us a small issue of special stamps, and making me a postmaster during my stay in the Antarctic. The quarters of the scientific staff on board the Nimrod were certainly small, and as the day of departure approached, Oyster Alley reached a state of congestion awful to contemplate. The ponies—of which we finally took away ten known as "S
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CHAPTER VI THE ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
CHAPTER VI THE ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
The continuous bad weather was attributed by some on board to the fact that we had captured an albatross on the second day out. It is generally supposed by seamen to be unlucky to kill this bird, but as we did it for the purposes of scientific collections and not with the wantonness of the "Ancient Mariner," the superstitious must seek another reason for the bad weather. The storm increased until, by midnight on the 6th, the squalls were of hurricane force, and the morning of the 7th brought no
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CHAPTER VII THE ATTEMPT TO REACH KING EDWARD VII LAND
CHAPTER VII THE ATTEMPT TO REACH KING EDWARD VII LAND
We were now in the Ross Sea, and evidently had avoided the main pack. Our position at noon (Jan. 17) was 70° 43′ South latitude, and 178° 58′ East longitude, and we were steering a little more westerly so as to strike the Barrier well to the east of Barrier Inlet, and also to avoid the heavy pack that previous expeditions had encountered to the east of meridian 160° West. The snow had now become hard and dry, like sago—the true Antarctic type, and numbers of Antarctic petrels circled round and r
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CHAPTER VIII THE LANDING OF STORES AND EQUIPMENT
CHAPTER VIII THE LANDING OF STORES AND EQUIPMENT
We now started upon a fortnight full of more checks and worries than I or any other member of the expedition had ever experienced. Nevertheless, in face of most trying conditions, the whole party turned to late and early with whole-hearted devotion and cheerful readiness. The ponies gave us cause for the most anxiety, because in their half-broken and nervous condition it would have been practically impossible to land them in boats. Finally we decided to build a rough horse-box, get them into thi
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CHAPTER IX THE NIMROD LEAVES US
CHAPTER IX THE NIMROD LEAVES US
As the swell continued during the following day, I signalled England to go to Glacier Tongue and land a depot there. Glacier Tongue lies about eight miles north of Hut Point and about thirteen to the southward of Cape Royds, and by landing a quantity of sledging stores there we should be saved several miles of haulage. Although we were busy in building the hut, and in one way and another had plenty of employment, I was disappointed at not being able to continue landing the stores until the 16th.
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CHAPTER X WINTER QUARTERS AT CAPE ROYDS OUTSIDE
CHAPTER X WINTER QUARTERS AT CAPE ROYDS OUTSIDE
The next few days were spent in using pick, shovel and iron crowbars on the envelope of ice that covered our cases, corners of which only peeped from the mass. The whole looked like a huge piece of the sweet known as almond rock, and it was as difficult to get our cases clear of the ice as it is to separate almonds from that sticky conglomerate without injury. In this strenuous labour, however, there was some humour, for Brocklehurst, who took great interest in the recovery of the chocolate, spe
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CHAPTER XI WINTER QUARTERS INSIDE
CHAPTER XI WINTER QUARTERS INSIDE
As regards the inside of the hut the first thing done was to peg out a space for each individual, and we saw that the best plan would be to have the space allotted in sections, allowing two men to share one cubicle. This space for two men amounted to six feet six inches in length and seven feet in depth from the wall of the hut towards the centre. There were seven of these cubicles, and a space for the leader of the expedition; thus providing for the fifteen who made up the shore party. One of t
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CHAPTER XII SLEDGING EQUIPMENT
CHAPTER XII SLEDGING EQUIPMENT
The sledge which we used is the outcome of the experience of many former explorers, but to Nansen is the chief credit that it has become such a very useful vehicle. Our experience on the Discovery expedition had convinced me that the eleven-foot sledge is the best for all-round use, but I took with me some twelve-foot sledges as being possibly more suitable for pony traction. A good sledge for Antarctic or Arctic travelling must be rigid in its upright and cross-bars, and yet give to uneven surf
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CHAPTER XIII OUR PONIES AND DOGS
CHAPTER XIII OUR PONIES AND DOGS
The experiences of the National Antarctic Expedition and of the Discovery Expedition convinced me, that if we could use ponies instead of dogs for traction purposes we should be making a very successful change. It was a risk to take ponies from the far north through the tropics, and then across two thousand miles of stormy sea on a very small ship, but we eventually established ourselves at the winter quarters with eight ponies. Unfortunately, however, we lost four of them within a month of our
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CHAPTER XIV MOUNT EREBUS
CHAPTER XIV MOUNT EREBUS
Until March 3 the arrangement of all the details relating to settling in our winter quarters engaged our attention, but afterwards we at once began to seek some outlet for our energies which would advance the cause of science and the work of the expedition. I was anxious to make a depot to the south for the furtherance of our southern journey in the summer, but the open water between us and Hut Point forbade all progress in that direction; neither was it possible for us to journey towards the we
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CHAPTER XV ATTACKING MOUNT EREBUS
CHAPTER XV ATTACKING MOUNT EREBUS
All hands accompanied the expedition when it started at a quarter to nine on the morning of March 5, and helped to pull the sledge along the slopes of Back Door Bay across Blue Lake, up the eastern slope to the first level; and there we said farewell to the mountain party. They first steered straight up a snow slope, and about a mile out and 400 feet above sea-level a glacial moraine barred their path, and they had to portage the sledge over it by slipping ice-axes under the load between the run
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CHAPTER XVI THE CONQUEST OF MOUNT EREBUS
CHAPTER XVI THE CONQUEST OF MOUNT EREBUS
While some of the party cooked the meal, Marshall examined Brocklehurst's feet, as the latter stated that for some time he had lost all feeling in them. When his boots and socks were removed it was found that both his big toes were black, and that four more toes were also frost-bitten. Ultimate recovery from so severe a frost-bite was bound to be slow and tedious, though Marshall's and Mackay's efforts to restore circulation were, under the conditions, fairly successful. To climb almost continuo
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CHAPTER XVII PREPARATIONS FOR THE WINTER MONTHS
CHAPTER XVII PREPARATIONS FOR THE WINTER MONTHS
After the journey to the summit of Erebus we began to prepare for the long winter months that were rapidly approaching. It was most important, for instance, that the geologists should get as far afield as possible before the winter night closed upon us; so both the Professor and Priestley were out early and late collecting geological specimens which would need to be examined later on. There was also a fine field for Murray's biological studies; while the lengthening nights gave indications that
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CHAPTER XVIII STILL IN THE HUT
CHAPTER XVIII STILL IN THE HUT
The duties of the messman were more onerous than those of the night watchman, and began by laying the table—a simple operation owing to the primitive conditions under which we lived. He then garnished this with hot sauces to tickle some of our tough palates, and when we sat down he passed up bowls of porridge and the big jug of hot milk, which was the standing dish every day. Then came the messman's order, "Up bowls," and, reserving our spoons, the bowls were passed along. If it were a "fruit da
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CHAPTER XIX PRELIMINARY JOURNEYS
CHAPTER XIX PRELIMINARY JOURNEYS
The sun had not yet returned and the temperature was exceedingly low, but the Discovery expedition had proved that it is quite possible to travel under these conditions. Accordingly I started on this preliminary journey on August 12, taking with me Professor David, who was to lead the Northern Party towards the South Magnetic Pole, and Bertram Armytage who was to take charge of the party that was to journey into the mountains of the west later in the year. We were equipped for a fortnight with p
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CHAPTER XX ARRANGEMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
CHAPTER XX ARRANGEMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
The Southern Party was to leave winter quarters on October 29, so on our return from Depot A we began finally to prepare for our attempt to reach the South Pole. I decided that Adams, Marshall and Wild should go with me and that we should take provisions for ninety-one days. This amount of food with other equipment brought the load per pony up to the weight fixed as the maximum safe load. The supporting party was to accompany us for some distance so that we might start fairly fresh from a point
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CHAPTER XXI THE START TO THE SOUTH POLE
CHAPTER XXI THE START TO THE SOUTH POLE
Brilliant sunshine and a cloudless sky were an auspicious beginning to the day on which we started upon our attempt to plant the Union Jack, which the Queen had given us, on the last untrodden spot of the world. Yet on leaving the hut where we had spent so many months in comfort, we had a feeling of real regret that never again should we all be together. The supporting-party started first, and at 10 A.M. we said good-bye to Murray and Roberts, who were to be left behind, and we four of the South
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CHAPTER XXII ONWARD
CHAPTER XXII ONWARD
The morning of the 9th was fine, calm and clear, and, as soon as we had dug the sledges out of the drift and breakfasted, we set out to find a track among the crevasses. Our hunt for crevasses was successful enough, for we discovered all sorts from narrow cracks to ugly chasms with no bottom visible, but to find a track through them was beyond our powers. There was indeed nothing for it but to trust to Providence, and having got under way we got over the first few crevasses without difficulty. A
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CHAPTER XXIII BEYOND ALL FORMER FOOTSTEPS
CHAPTER XXIII BEYOND ALL FORMER FOOTSTEPS
On November 18 I imagined that we had reached the windless area of the Pole, for the Barrier was a dead, smooth, white plain, weird beyond description, and, having no land in sight, we felt tiny specks in the immensity around us. It seemed as though we were in some other world, and yet the things that concerned us most were such trifles as split lips and big appetites. Already the daily meals were all too short, and we wondered what it would be like when we were really hungry. However, we were m
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CHAPTER XXIV "THE HIGHWAY TO THE SOUTH"
CHAPTER XXIV "THE HIGHWAY TO THE SOUTH"
On December 1 we reached latitude 83° 16′ south and could see land stretching away to the east with a long white line in front of it that looked like a giant barrier. It seemed as though there was going to be a change in some gigantic way in keeping with the vastness of our surroundings. At one moment our thoughts were on the grandeur of the scene, the next on what we would have to eat if we were let loose in a good restaurant. For we were very hungry in these days, and lived mainly on pony-meat
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CHAPTER XXV ON THE GREAT GLACIER
CHAPTER XXV ON THE GREAT GLACIER
The morning of December 5 saw us breaking camp at eight o'clock, and proceeding south down an icy slope to the main glacier. Soon, however, the ice slope gave place to a snow slope, and after a time the snow was replaced by blue ice split by so many cracks and crevasses that it was impossible for Socks to continue to drag the sledge without our risking his life in one of the many holes. Snow-blindness was still troubling me so much that I stayed in camp after lunch was over, while Marshall and A
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CHAPTER XXVI ON THE PLATEAU TO THE FARTHEST SOUTH
CHAPTER XXVI ON THE PLATEAU TO THE FARTHEST SOUTH
Never do I expect to meet anything more tantalising than the plateau on which our hopes were set. By December 18 I thought that we were almost up, and yet we had to go on and on, apparently unable to get rid of the crevasses. By this time we were fully conscious that food was to be the key to our success or failure to reach the Pole, and we began to save food in order to spin it out, a saving which made us almost ravenous with hunger. Each day we saved two biscuits per man, and also some pemmica
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CHAPTER XXVII FARTHEST SOUTH
CHAPTER XXVII FARTHEST SOUTH
By the evening of New Year's Day we were within 172½ miles of the Pole, so we had managed to beat all records North and South, and we also had hopes of a better surface—which were, unfortunately, not fulfilled. Again we had to battle over very soft snow, and the cold wind seemed to go right through us, weakened as we were from want of food. Impossible as it was to think of failure yet, I compelled myself to look at the matter sensibly and to consider the lives of those who were with me. I felt i
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CHAPTER XXVIII THE RETURN MARCH
CHAPTER XXVIII THE RETURN MARCH
Our homeward marches are a tale of sufferings from hunger and dysentery, of struggles against blizzards and crevasses and bad surfaces. One desire drove us on from depot to depot, and that was our supreme craving for food. All of us had tragic dreams of getting food to eat, but rarely did we have the satisfaction of dreaming that we were actually eating. I did, however, once have a dream that I was eating bread and butter. Conscience is said to make men cowardly, and I am sure that it is as true
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CHAPTER XXIX STRUGGLING BACK
CHAPTER XXIX STRUGGLING BACK
At last we were on the Barrier again, and with six days' food and only fifty miles between us and our next supply I thought that grave danger was behind us. But the man who congratulates himself that anxieties and perils are over, before he has reached the very end of his polar exploration work is wasting his time. In our case Wild developed dysentery, the cause of which we could only ascribe to the horse-meat; while just before we left the glacier I broke through some soft snow and plunged into
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CHAPTER XXX THE FINAL STAGE
CHAPTER XXX THE FINAL STAGE
Early on the morning of the 23rd we broke camp, and in a few hours Wild saw the Bluff depot miraged up. It seemed to be quite close, and the flags were waving and dancing, as though to say, "Come, here I am; come and feed!" It was indeed a cheerful sight for weary and hungry men, and directly we saw it we devoured the few biscuits we still possessed. At 4 P.M. we reached this haven, and found that Joyce and his party had done their work splendidly; and I, climbing to the top of it, told those be
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CHAPTER XXXI NOTES ON THE SOUTHERN JOURNEY
CHAPTER XXXI NOTES ON THE SOUTHERN JOURNEY
We brought back with us from our march towards the Pole vivid memories of how to feel intensely, fiercely hungry. From November 15, 1908, until February 23, 1909, we had but one full meal on Christmas Day, and even then scarcely any time had passed before we were as hungry as ever. Our daily allowance of food would have been a small one for a city worker in a temperate climate, and in our own case hunger was increased by the fact that we were performing vigorous labour in a very low temperature.
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CHAPTER XXXII THE RETURN OF THE "NIMROD"
CHAPTER XXXII THE RETURN OF THE "NIMROD"
During the winter the Nimrod had been laid up in Port Lyttelton, and had been thoroughly overhauled so that she should once more be ready to battle with the ice. Captain F. P. Evans had been appointed master of the ship under my power of attorney, Captain England having resigned on account of ill-health, and towards the end of the year sufficient stores were taken on board to provide for a party staying at Cape Royds through the winter, in case one of the sledging-parties had not returned, and a
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CHAPTER XXXIII THE WESTERN PARTY
CHAPTER XXXIII THE WESTERN PARTY
How well Joyce and his party, consisting of Mackintosh, Day and Martin, placed a depot of stores about fourteen miles off Minna Bluff, and how glad the Southern Party were to find them there has already been told. In the depoting of these stores Joyce made two journeys, starting for the first from winter quarters on January 15 and returning to Hut Point on January 31, and leaving there again with a second load of stores (which had been brought by a party from the Nimrod ) and reaching the Bluff
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CHAPTER XXXIV INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE NORTHERN PARTY
CHAPTER XXXIV INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE NORTHERN PARTY
The Northern Party, which consisted of Professor David, Douglas Mawson, and Alistair Mackay, was under the command of the Professor, and the tale of their adventures will be related by himself. But before the party set out upon this important expedition I gave final instructions to them, an extract from which is given. "Dear Sir," I wrote to the Professor, "you will leave winter quarters on or about October 1, 1908. The main objects of your journey to be as follows: "(1) To take magnetic observa
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CHAPTER XXXV THE NARRATIVE OF PROFESSOR DAVID WE START FOR THE MAGNETIC POLE
CHAPTER XXXV THE NARRATIVE OF PROFESSOR DAVID WE START FOR THE MAGNETIC POLE
The first thing to be done in connection with our attempt to reach the Magnetic Pole was to lay depots, and so on September 25, after delay from bad weather, Priestley, Day and I (David) started in the motor-car, dragging behind us two sledges over the ice. One sledge with its load weighed 606 lb., the other 250 lb., and as soon as Day put the car on her second gear we sped over the floe-ice at a rate of fourteen miles an hour, much to the admiration of the seals and penguins. Accidents, however
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CHAPTER XXXVI ACROSS THE ICE BARRIER
CHAPTER XXXVI ACROSS THE ICE BARRIER
How to reach the Pole was still our engrossing subject of discussion, and on November 1 we decided that our only hope of reaching it, was by travelling on half-rations from the point we had reached to the point on the coast at the Drygalski Glacier, where we might hope to be able to turn inland with reasonable prospect of success. Mawson was convinced that we must keep six weeks of full rations for our inland journey, and this meant that we must march on half-rations for about 100 miles. While I
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CHAPTER XXXVII THE DRYGALSKI GLACIER
CHAPTER XXXVII THE DRYGALSKI GLACIER
On November 26 Mawson and I ascended a rocky promontory, while Mackay was securing some seal-meat, and from the top we had a splendid view across the level surface of sea-ice far below us. But although what we saw was magnificent, it was also discomforting, for at a few miles from the shore an enormous iceberg, frozen into the floe, lay right across the path which we had meant to travel on the next day. To the north-west of us was Geikie Inlet, and beyond that, stretching as far as the eye could
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CHAPTER XXXVIII CREVASSES
CHAPTER XXXVIII CREVASSES
Our retreat began early on the morning of December 2, and after a week's struggle on the glacier Mackay, just before camping-time on the 9th, sighted open water on the northern edge of the Drygalski Ice Barrier, from three to four miles away. This convinced us that we could not hope for sea-ice over which to sledge westwards to that part of the shore where we proposed to make our final depot, before attempting the ascent of the great inland plateau in order to reach the Magnetic Pole. On the 10t
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CHAPTER XXXIX UPWARDS AND ONWARDS
CHAPTER XXXIX UPWARDS AND ONWARDS
So far as the possibility of reaching the Magnetic Pole was concerned, our fortunes seemed to have reached a low ebb. It was already December 20, and we knew that we had to be back at our depot on the Drygalski Glacier not later than February 1 or 2, if there was to be a reasonable chance of our being picked up by the Nimrod. That meant that we had to travel at least 480 to 500 miles before we could hope to get to the Magnetic Pole and back to our depot, and there remained only six weeks to acco
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CHAPTER XL THE MAGNETIC POLE
CHAPTER XL THE MAGNETIC POLE
Each successive evening saw us some ten miles nearer to the Magnetic Pole, but by the 11th we had various inconveniences (to name them mildly) to add to our difficulties. Mawson had a touch of snow-blindness in his right eye, and both he and Mackay suffered much through the skin of their lips peeling off, leaving the raw flesh exposed. Mawson, particularly, experienced great difficulty every morning in getting his mouth to open, as his lips were firmly glued together. The compass by this time wa
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CHAPTER XLI RETURNING
CHAPTER XLI RETURNING
I called the camp later than usual on the following morning, and we discussed our chances of catching the Nimrod if she searched for us along the coast in the direction of our depot on the Drygalski Glacier. At the Magnetic Pole we were fully 260 statute miles distant, as the skua gull flies, from our depot, and as we had knocked off eleven of these miles on the previous day we still had 249 miles to cover. If, then we were to reach the Drygalski depot by February 1, we had only fifteen days in
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CHAPTER XLII OBSTACLES IN OUR COURSE
CHAPTER XLII OBSTACLES IN OUR COURSE
It continued to snow heavily during the day. But although Mawson's leg pained him a great deal we had to push on, for we were still sixteen miles, we thought, from our depot on the Drygalski Glacier, and we had only two days' food left. So we started to sledge in the thick, driving snow, but as the work under these conditions were excessively exhausting, and we were also unable to keep our proper course while the blizzard lasted, we camped at 8 P.M. and were soon sleeping the sleep of worn and w
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CHAPTER XLIII SAFE ABOARD
CHAPTER XLIII SAFE ABOARD
As we were all thoroughly exhausted and had reached a spot from which we could get a good view of the ocean beyond Drygalski Barrier, we camped at 10.30 P.M. on that evening (February 3) a little over a mile away from our depot. During that day we had two of the most satisfying meals we had eaten for a very long time; a soupy mincemeat of penguin for lunch, and plenty of seal for dinner. And after the second meal Mawson and I turned into the sleeping-bag, leaving Mackay to take the first of our
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CHAPTER XLIV THE RETURN TO NEW ZEALAND
CHAPTER XLIV THE RETURN TO NEW ZEALAND
The Nimrod , with Professor David, Mawson and Mackay aboard, got back to winter quarters on February 11 and landed Mawson. No news had been heard of the Southern Party, and the depot party, commanded by Joyce, was still out. On February 20 it was found that the depot party had reached Hut Point, and had not seen Marshall, Adams, Wild or myself. My instructions had provided that if we had not returned from our journey toward the South Pole by February 25, a party was to be landed at Hut Point wit
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CHAPTER XLV PENGUINS
CHAPTER XLV PENGUINS
( Some Notes by James Murray, Biologist to the Expedition ) Though so much has been written about them, penguins always excite fresh interest in every one who sees them for the first time. There is endless interest in watching them; the dignified Emperor, dignified in spite of his clumsy waddle, going along with his wife (or wives) by his side, the very picture of a successful, self-satisfied, unsuspicious countryman, and gravely bowing like a Chinaman before a yelping dog, and also the little u
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CHAPTER XLVI THE ADELIES AND THEIR CHICKS
CHAPTER XLVI THE ADELIES AND THEIR CHICKS
The rookery is most interesting after the chicks arrive. The young chicks are silvery or stately grey, with darker heads, which are heavy for the first day or so and hang down helplessly. After hatching the parents take equal share in tending the chicks, whatever they may have done before. For some weeks the nest cannot be left untended, or the chicks would perish of cold or fall victims to the skuas. When the young ones can hold up their heads the feeding begins, and at first the parent tries t
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CHAPTER XLVII NOTES
CHAPTER XLVII NOTES
The first seals which we met on this expedition were seen on our voyage from New Zealand before we entered the actual line of bergs. I did not see them myself, but from descriptions I gathered that one was a crabeater, and the other a Weddell seal. Later on, of course, seals were to be seen in numbers, and one of the reasons why I selected Cape Royds for our winter quarters was because I saw plenty of them lying on the bay ice, and consequently we should not be likely to suffer from a lack of fr
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